Philosopher's Stone

Gareth Mitchell’s second project as Philosopher’s Stone features endlessly refined and processed samples of guitar. The trippiest aspects of Pink Floyd’s early sonic explorations are simply the starting point for sound sculpture like this. Play this one loud and grow mesmerised by numbing waves of white noise in the slowly oscillating wash and sonic wave of “Lost,” or the gradually intensifying pulse of “Confluence,” the two purest and most monotonous soundscapes here. Philosopher’s Stone is at its most compelling in the gothic-industrial “Komposition,” the minimalist contrapuntal fractal oscillations of the impressionist “Filament,” the heavily processed circular feedback loops of “Calendar,” the microtonal sonic architecture of “Valetta” and the haunting intensification of “Apparition.” If you are into serious experimentation with sound, Philosopher’s Stone offers some challenging alchemy.